North of the North Star ~ a
direction onward over the top
of the world to the stars of the
south where the east and west
remain constant companions
while the journey goes.
In these four directions
treasures and lean times grow,
there are joys and there are sorrows.
And yet they each remain true ~
those Stars of all directions. Each
our choice to follow one or all.
“For my part I know nothing with any certainty,
but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
~ Vincent van Gogh, artist
(1853 ~ 1890)
There is an in-between speed
that has no destination,
no timing,
no when to stop,
when to step on the gas,
a strange and awkward place
where imagination can roam free
to choose a book to read,
a walk to take,
no sense of urgency
until rain pours in violent torrents
when windows must be closed
drains cleared of dried flower petals.
A stop and go time that fills
once more with in-between time.
“Sometimes the space between knowing what to do
and actually doing it is a very short walk.
Other times it is an impossible expanse.”
~ David Levithan, author
Ambition to live the life
we were given
put on the wayside
when confronted with style,
images and must do’s.
If we do not measure up
then we chance to
forget our own courage
and desire for independence.
Independence of thought,
of action
of belief
in life as we see it.
And so we climb
into that suit of armour
that fits us best and
take the direction of our choice
despite pitfalls that may be in our path.
“We never know how high we are
Till we are called rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies.”
~ Emily Dickinson, Aspiration
Entering life ~
happens each day.
Dreams fade in wisps,
disappearing in the light.
Each day is a choice to be.
What will you choose?
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803 ~ 1882
Needing a nudge to take my turn
playing Scrabble is a sign that
visiting has overtaken game play.
Puts ‘need’ in perspective.
There are times when I choose
not to buy groceries even though
my cupboards and fridge
have empty spaces ~
the milk almost gone,
only one extra pound of butter,
broccoli is preferred
rather than the frozen beans.
My reason? The recipe calls for specifics!
What I need in that moment
is a bit of creativity, courage
~ it’s too easy to go out
for supper or order in.
This isn’t the old saw
‘think of the hungry kids’,
There is another old saw:
“Make do with what you have”.
Spices make all the difference,
internet search engines and
~ you remember them ~
recipe books, and imagination.
“Necessity is the mother of all invention”
~ Albert Einstein
Open-ended guides
come from ancestors,
and loved ones around me
who have shown me that
shaping my life is
a choice only for me.
When life has pushed me,
pulled me,
threatened to tear me apart,
I look into myself for
the tiniest fragment of courage ~
to hear myself say
to rest or
to run,
to stay or
to go, or
to find my calm belief
in the middle of the storm.
To believe in myself
is the guide that I seek.
“And it’s always better, isn’t it, when you discover answers on your own?”
~ Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky
It was easy to keep interested
in my working life,
at least in my passion
for addictions nursing care.
But when I retired,
almost 6 years ago,
I had only my own life
to be interested in.
No schedule,
no policies or protocols,
no box on the calendar to say
what I could do on what day.
I didn’t have to squeeze in
outside entertainment
or family activities
or even getting groceries.
I had a choice between crushing boredom
and some kind of interest in my life
that had nothing to do with nursing care.
~ quite an uncomfortable habit.
I could have kept writing about addictions issues.
~ The neurobiology of addiction
~ Actual protocols for withdrawal management
But the powers that be hadn’t listened to little old me
so I looked in the mirror and turned my writing to me.
I could still write about neurobiology
But about epilepsy this time.
Interest in my own life appeared
as if by magic ~ maybe out of boredom
or perhaps because I have lived with epilepsy
for more of my life than anything else.
There you have it:
To reword a stanza from the Desiderata:
~ ‘Keep interested in your own life,
however humble, for it is a real possession
in the changing fortunes of time’ ~
“Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”
~ Max Ehrmann
(Written 1927)
